Group bus travel
How to pay for buses when travelling in a group. Information for sports teams, school groups, families and tourists.
On this page
How to use public buses for group travel
Public buses run on many routes across Auckland and are a convenient way to get around.
However, there are some special considerations when you are travelling in a group, such as:
- you cannot book seats on public buses
- most buses can fit groups of up to 20 people outside peak hours (7am to 9am and 4pm to 6pm).
If your group is larger than 20 people or you’re travelling at peak times, we recommend booking a charter bus. This will make sure there is room for your group on the bus.
Please remind your group to be respectful of other passengers on the bus.
How to pay for public buses for group travel
Cash is not accepted on Auckland Transport buses. You will need to use an AT HOP card or a contactless payment method. Contactless methods include debit or credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Learn more about contactless payment.
AT HOP
Prepaid card for public transport in Auckland
Can pay for multiple people with one card
Needs to have enough credit on it before you travel
Contactless
Uses your credit or debit card, or digital alternative
Can only pay for one person per contactless method
Takes payment directly from your bank account
The 7-day $50 fare cap for AT HOP and $20 daily cap for contactless payment methods do not apply to group travel. These fare caps only work when tagging on and off for multiple trips, not for a single trip paying for multiple people.
Using your AT HOP card to pay for group travel
You can use a single HOP card to pay for up to 4 other people per transaction.
Before you travel
You can buy an AT HOP card from:
- vending machines
- Auckland Transport customer service centres
- retailers.
You’ll need to make sure you have enough credit on your HOP card to pay for the group. You can top up your HOP card online, at a customer service centre, or a retailer.
Where to buy and top up a HOP card (interactive map).
When you get on the bus
Tag on with your HOP card for yourself, then tell the driver you’d like to pay for the rest of your group. Put your HOP card on top of the driver’s ticket machine. The driver will count how many people you are paying for and charge your card the right amount.
Each extra person you pay for with your HOP card will be charged an adult cash fare. They will not be eligible for the HOP discount. The only concessions available when paying this way are:
- child concession for children aged 5 to 15 – the driver may ask for proof of age
- accessible concession for people with a Total Mobility card or Blind Low Vision NZ card.
To calculate how much you’ll pay, enter your starting point and destination in our Journey Planner to see routes and prices.
When you get off the bus
Make sure you tag off with your HOP card when you exit the bus, so you don’t get charged an extra default fare.
Using your contactless method to pay for group travel
Each person must have their own contactless payment method for travelling on the bus. You cannot pay for more than one person with a contactless method. This makes it suitable for adult groups where each person has their own credit or debit card, or digital payment method.
Concessions and discounts are not available with contactless payments. The adult cash fare will be charged.
When you get on the bus
Tag on to the card reader with your credit or debit card or digital alternative when you enter the bus.
When you get off the bus
Tag off when you exit the bus. Make sure you use the same credit or debit card or digital alternative as you used to tag on.